When the Church Prays with Boldness

Theme: The Spirit-filled church turns to God in Scripture-shaped prayer, and the Spirit empowers them again for bold witness.

Introduction:

When did you last speak to someone about Jesus.

Perhaps you can’t remmeber,

Perhaps a long time ago

perhaps more recently.

And what was the experience like?

. Did that experince affect your hesitancy to speak again?

Well whatever our experience or lack of

- I hope we all want to Be much more ‘BOLD’ in our speaking about Jesus,

That has and always should be a core aim of the church.

Acts 4:29 NIVUK

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

PRAY

In Acts 1, the Risen Jesus ascends to heaven,

promising the gift of the Spirit to the church.

In Acts 2, the Spirit is poured out, and Peter preaches:

Jesus is risen and reigning. Repent and be Baptised -

Thousands are converted.

In Acts 3, a lame man is healed at the temple gate,

and Peter again proclaims Christ. But this brings opposition.

Why all the opposition, well becasue they don’t like the Gospel Peter is preaching:

Jesus is the Son of God,

fully God and fully man,

who lived a perfect life,

And you killed him.

Infact as we’ve seen in previous chapters - all of humanity are guilty of sin against JEsus.

But God used their murder of Jesus,

so Jesus could take the punishment for our sins,

and he rose again victorious over death and sin.

Because of His resurrection,

He is now exalted as King and Lord over all.

This gospel is the power of God for salvation

It is the reason the apostles speak boldly,

the purpose for which the Spirit empowers them,

and the only hope for us to be forgiven and made new.

Boldness in speaking about Jesus flows

from the reality that Jesus saves and reigns.”

But as Peter and John do just that in

In Acts 4, they are arrested, interrogated, and threatened:

‘Don’t speak in Jesus’ name again.’”

What would you expect the church to do?

What would we do?

Panic?

Keep quiet?

Ask God to change the circumstances around us?

Well, let’s see what they did.

1. Boldness begins with Christian Fellowship (v23)

Acts 4:23 NIVUK

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

Luke tells us that Peter and John “went to their own”.

This is more than a casual reunion with friends.

It is a return to the body—to the new community that Christ is forming by His Spirit.

This language echoes what we’ve seen in Acts 2:42–47: where the believers are devoted to one another in teaching, prayer, and fellowship.

They don’t isolate.

They don’t avoid church they gather and talk about the challenges they have faced.

When we face opposition, or embarrassment at work, or school for our faith, or views..

it’s very tempting to seek inclusion and support

by blending into those same people

- afterall they are who we often spend the most time with,.

Our reflex is often to withdraw from church and Home group.

But blending is very dangerous - when you already belong to a body.

Peter and John do what believers must do: they bring their burdens to the body,

and together they bring them to God.

Christ’s people, Christians, are ‘our own people’.

This is the instinct of the Spirit-filled people of God.

Our union, our fellowship is not just social—it is spiritual.

It is built around shared faith in Christ,

shared commitment to His gospel,

and shared dependence on His grace.

Boldness does not begin in the individual heart,

self-help mantras,

or even personal quiet times,

—it begins with Christian Fellowship

When someone mocks you at school for believing the Bible,

do you keep it to yourself? - Do you blend.

Or do you go home and talk to your youth group friends, your parents, and pray together?

Do You belong.

If your colleagues start criticising Christian values, do you carry the burden alone and blend.

Or do you bring it to your home group and ask for prayer and encouragement? -belong.

Boldness begins in fellowship.

2. Boldness is rooted in Prayers of ‘Scripture Filled’ Praise and Trust (vv24–28)

After Peter and John report the threats to the gathered believers, what is their immediate response? Look at verse 24:

Acts 4:24 NIVUK

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. ‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

Before they even mention the threats or ask anything ‘from God’

- which is where we start - we always start with the problem and complaint.

they begin their prayer with Scripture-filled praise and trust.

A. Prayers begin with Praise (knowing who God is) (v24)

“Sovereign Lord”—

This is not the usual “Lord” but a rarer title that emphasises absolute authority and rule.

It is used of God as the Master who rules over His servants.

And they immediately connect that sovereignty to creation:

“who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.”

A Phrase echoing multiple OT passages. (Neh 9:6, Exodus 20:11 and Psalm 146:6.)

This is not casual language—they are deliberately grounding their corporate prayer in the character of God as revealed in Scripture.

This is Praise - acknowledging who God is.

God is Creator: He owns all, rules all, and sustains all.

God is Sovereign: Nothing surprises or overcomes Him.

Threats from the Sanhedrin, opposition rising.

But instead of being overwhelmed by their fears,

they are recalibrated by Who God is.

Prayers begins not with panic but with praise,

and that praise is drawn directly from the Bible.

When we pray, what shapes our view of God?

Our circumstances, or His Word?

Filling our minds with Scripture is essential—it’s not about having impressive Bible knowledge,

it’s about knowing who God is, so we can pray accordingly.

B. Prayer Demonstrate our Trust (Knowing What God Promises) (vv25–26)

Acts 4:25–26 NIVUK

You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ‘ “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one.”

Here they quote Psalm 2:1–2. But notice how they introduce it:

‘You Spoke (through David)’

They understand Scripture as God’s own Word—spoken through David, but inspired by the Holy Spirit.

And notice their prayers are not clever,

they are not otherworldly,

they are not impressing each other with their eloquence.

They pray Scripture—

and they aren’t just quoting it for reference;

they’re using it as the basis for their own prayer.

Psalm 2 describes the rebellious hostility of human rulers against God’s Messiah.

And the early church recognises that what David wrote about a thousand years earlier holds a principle that is true for what is happening in their own time.

The nations are still raging.

The rulers (in their case, the Sanhedrin) are still opposing God’s Anointed (Jesus).

The Word helps them make sense of their experience.

And shows that in all things they trust the God who has put them in this situation.

We have a table now at our prayer meetings once a month,

just full of bible verses that refelct a theme we think is helpful to us as a church family.

Becasue sometimes it’s tempting to think prayer requires us to be super inteligent.

No - we just need to read back God’s word, His pormises, to Him - and ask for renewed trust.

And in this case - for renewed boldness to keep declaring Jesus.

Prayer is not simply bringing God our problems,

but trusting God with our problems through Scripture

—letting His Word give us categories, language, and assurance.

The more we pray with an open Bible, the more aligned our requests will be with God's will.

Why not add a Psalam to your daily prayer time - just read it and pray it.

C. Prayer accepts God’s sovereignty (over even evil events) (vv27–28)

Now look how they apply Psalm 2 to their current situation:

Acts 4:27 NIVUK

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.

They name the specific conspirators—Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles, and the Jews. Everyone was complicit in Jesus’ crucifixion.

But was it chaos?

Was it failure?

Acts 4:28 NIVUK

They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

The most evil act in history—the crucifixion of the Son of God—was not outside God’s plan. - It was God’s plan!

John Calvin - the protestant reformer, writes:

“They were wicked, and deserved punishment; and yet the Lord turned their wickedness to His own good end... even the fury of enemies serves His purpose.”

This is how the early church finds boldness.

They realise:

if God ruled over that, He rules over this.

If the cross wasn’t a mistake but part of God's sovereign plan, then so is this persecution.

When we pray - thank God he was soverign even over the crucfiction, and pray,

‘Father, if you ruled over that, then you rule over this.’

This should be a deep comfort to us.

You may face slander, exclusion, or rejection for following Jesus.

but God has not lost control.

Nothing that comes against the gospel can ultimately succeed.

The Word of God and the plan of God are our stability -

- when everything seems unstable.

So, let us be a church of Prayer - for that is where Boldness is rooted.

But not our version of Prayer - God’s version of prayer.

So we pray Scripture, to praise and trust God.

we don’t inform God in prayer, God informs us —we align ourselves with Him.

If you’re feeling hostility for their faith: Go to Psalm 2, or Daniel 4 or Isaiah 40

Don’t let TikTok or school syllabuses - blend you in

—let Scripture frame your view of reality.

3. Boldness is a Right Desire (vv29–30)

Acts 4:29 NIVUK

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

Having acknowledged God's sovereignty and interpreted their situation through the lens of Scripture (vv24–28)

, they now move to petition.

But notice what they don’t ask for.

They do not pray for protection from persecution.

They do not pray for God to remove the Sanhedrin.

They do not pray for cultural acceptance or relief.

Instead, they ask for boldness

—specifically, that they would “continue to speak your word with great boldness.”

In other words,

they pray not for a change in circumstances but for courage to remain faithful in those circumstances.

“Grant to your servants…” — They see themselves as servants, whose only concern is their Master’s business.

They’re not asking for their safety; they’re asking for grace to stay on task.

Do we pray for boldness to speak God’s word in our circumstances?

This is the core point of Acts

- that the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus

- might keep going to the ends of the earth.

So are we praying for that same bodlness to declare that same truth?

Or are we too hung up praying for our circumstances or life situations to change around us?

The phrase “With all boldness…” suggests complete freedom, openness, and fearlessness in speech.

Isn’t that what we want to be for our Master as we serve Him.

And they go on in verse 30:

Acts 4:30 NIVUK

Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’

Their request is for God to act

—not to glorify themselves or make the church impressive,

but so that the message of Jesus is authenticated and advanced.

These signs were the God-given credentials of the apostles as Paul says in

2 Corinthians 12:12 NIVUK

I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles.

They were marking this unique, foundational period of redemptive history.

They are not asking for a spectacle - as so many do today who still pursue the miraculous,

but for gospel clarity and divine confirmation.

The apostles may have gone and their signs and wonders with them - but their divinely authorised message has not.

And so, we pray for boldnes to share it clearly, couragously, consitently, irregardless of our situations.

This prayer reveals the heartbeat of a Spirit-filled church.

Their greatest fear is not suffering, but silence.

Their highest priority is not comfort, but gospel clarity.

What is our prayer?

If you’re the only Christian in your workplace, and the conversation turns hostile,

do you ask God to make it go away? Or for courage to speak kindly but clearly for Christ?

If your child faces ridicule for believing in Jesus, what do you pray for them? Social ease (blending)—or gospel boldness?

If laws change and churches come under pressure, will we pray for safety or faithfulness?

This passage challenges our priorities.

Too often we pray first for safety, ease, or even cultural success.

But the early church shows us a better way: to seek the honour of Christ and the advancement of His Word—even at cost to ourselves.

It is right to pray for boldness!

And I guess that means,

if we are timid? Anxious? Weak in witness? Don’t despair.

The fact you feel like that is proof that it’s reliance of God, not self that we need.

And so Pray.

Ask God to make you bold—

not loud or abrasive,

but lovingly, faithfully unashamed of Christ.

That’s a prayer He delights to answer - as the early church are about to find out:

4. Boldness is given afresh by the Spirit (v31)

Acts 4:31 NIVUK

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

They had already received the Spirit at Pentecost - so they can’t reviece Him again, or more of him in the sence that he wasn’t quite all in them before.

But as will be our experince even today

- although without the signs and wonders of the apostles and shaking of the ground,

we ought to expect God to answer our prayers when we pray in light with his will.

They prayered for boldness in the face of fear,

and God delievered!

This is a fresh empowering for bold witness in a moment of need.

The Spirit is not given to us to lie idle,

comfortable and quiet,

but to stir us up to witness about Jesus.”

If we’ve neglected that duty, then pray, pray, pray for boldness

- and Then don’t be surprised when he empowers us to speak.

This is not about seeking an experience.

Nowhere do the apostles or early Christians chase after feelings or manifestations or even empowering.

They seek God’s will in prayer, and the Spirit is given as God’s gracious answer, to equip them for gospel proclamation.

We must avoid the trap of seeking spiritual “highs.” The Spirit is not a force to be invoked, but a person who empowers us as we faithfully walk in obedience and prayer.

For a believer burnt out or ashamed after missing past opportunities:

Don’t give up. The apostles were filled again.

You too can ask again for boldness—and the Spirit will strengthen you again.

As a church we don’t rely on giftedness, structure, or strategy.

We Rely on the Spirit.

Pray together. He empowers weak people to speak of a strong Saviour.

Walk into that next conversation trusting that, by the Spirit who is in your heart, you will have boldness to speak of Jesus.

So let’s do just as they did in Acts 4

Acts 4:24 NIVUK

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.

New International Version: Anglicised Edition (2011) Chapter 4

Sovereign Lord,’

‘you made the heavens and the earth and the sea,

and everything in them.

You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

‘ “Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth rise up

and the rulers band together

against the Lord

and against his anointed one.”

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus,

whom you anointed.

They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

Now, Lord,

consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

Amen.